A good stop for a holiday read

Holidays always pose a bit of a balancing act: how many books do I take versus how many bookshops can I reasonably count on us visiting, with the added pressure of how. much luggage* I can carry.

A little pre-holiday research gives me an idea how many bookshops might be in the vicinity, but the vagaries of travel options; unexpected opening hour tweaks; other holiday commitments; or even the possibility I don't buy anything in the bookshop** means I can never guarantee how many books will end up coming home with me. For this week's bookshop the opposite happened: I was completely ignorant of the place's existence until I took a wrong turning during a walk and found myself in front of a lovely big window. I'd packed a lot of books for our holiday to Bakewell, but what's one more among friends?

Maxwells Bookshop is found in a sort of pedestrianised area to one side of a main road. It's nicely at home among other independent shops and not far from The Old Bakewell Pudding Shop, an inevitable must-visit for anyone who's only ever experienced Mr Kipling's offerings. We actually found the bookshop while on the hunt for a birthday card (which thankfully arrived on time for a friend's birthday), so it was lucky for me that the bookshop also sold a selection of greetings cards – and gifts and crafts, but my suitcase wasn't up to that.

For a small town that's popular for walking holidays, it has a big bookshop. Maxwells fills what I'd guess is two shop units, leaving plenty of space for browsers to wander around. This also means there's a good variety of books, ranging from the non-fiction you need for a walking holiday, to the fiction you need for a rest.

While we were browsing a steady stream of local and holidaying bookshoppers appeared, and while I jogged my memory about the bookshop (I have to confess this visit is from 2023), I was pleased to find many positive reviews on bookish blogs and local websites. They may not have their own internet presence, but Maxwells is clearly well-loved both on and offline.

As an added bonus for those of us who've already spent far too much on holiday, the books are all discounted, meaning I didn't feel too guilty about my purchase of Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker, and that much-needed birthday card.

Maxwells Bookshop
9, Orme Court, Off Granby Road, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1ES

PS. At time of visit they also had a bookshop dog:

*I'm at my most strict about the one book per bookshop rule when I'm limited by luggage.

**Keen readers will notice this blog is always positive about the bookshop being visited. I think the stats are something like 1/100 for me finding a bookshop I don't feel happy enough to buy a book in, and on those rare occurrences I will quietly walk away. Then next time I'm in the area I'll try again. Because maybe that bookshop was having a bad day. We all have bad days occasionally, and I don't think it would be fair for this blog to hold one bad day against anyone.